Today’s Fiction Friday is the conclusion of the first letter that Sarah Miller writes to the man she loves, Amasa Stone, in 1853 about the event that’s happened on the Miller farm in rural Shenandoah County, Virginia.

This excerpt comes from my novel Endless Chain, the second of the Shenandoah Album novels, and Sarah’s letters continue through the book.

Broken hearts are all too common in life: broken hearts over a failed relationship, a lost job, a personal failure, a defeated dream, illness, the death of a loved one.

Sadness and anguish are a natural part of life, but most of us are woefully ignorant of how to overcome a broken heart, how to learn from our defeats, and how to achieve happiness in the face of failure.

Recently I received several emails in response to my last newsletter complaining that my newly reissued romance, The Unmasking, was only available as an e-book and wasn’t in paper–unless a reader can find the original paperback, which is almost a collector’s item.

While I sympathize, and wish I could magically produce books in all formats, this seems like an excellent time to talk about what authors can and can’t do.

May the road rise to meet you, May the wind be always at your back, May the sun shine warm upon your face, The rains fall soft upon your fields and, Until we meet again, May God hold you in the palm of His hand.

To celebrate St. Patrick’s Day I’m sharing a favorite Irish Blessing and a photo of me in Ireland a number of years ago.

History dates construction of the house by slave labor to 1805 to 1809. Oscar Chopin bought it in 1879 and, years later, moved his wife and their six children to the plantation. Sadly the house was destroyed by fire in 2008. Photo courtesy of Cane River National Heritage Area

I am spending this week with my beloved grandson, son and daughter-in-law, who came to visit this weekend. Liam, at two, is a reminder of all life’s miracles, and we have had so much fun together. Love sitting with his wonderful parents discussing their lives and all the things we can’t cover in telephone calls.

You’ll want to read about this inspiring young man, Justin Riney, who paddle-boarded 2500 miles around Florida to help raise funds for water conservation.

Along the way Justin organized cleanups of waterways and took some incredible photos — there’s a link in the article. Justin “stepped off the ledge,” took a chance and decided to make a difference in the world.